“God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we want to hide from…The Christian religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort, but it does not begin in comfort; it begins in…dismay…In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth–only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Harper Collins, 1952) 31-32.
Our culture bombards us with consumerism and promises of comfort, especially at this time of year. The wares they offer never provide lasting satisfaction. Want to the gift that keeps on giving? Think about what is true. Lewis is spot on to remind us that when we do, we may not always like what we find (such is the nature of conviction). But truth is the only pathway to comfort and peace in this life. Think about that when you shop for those you love.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
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